North Carolina Weekly Crop Survey – July 26, 2026
Drought Impact Analysis From Extension Agents Across the State
Drought Impact (County Reported)
Select a level to isolate it on the map.
Comment Signal
Worsening / crop stress intensifying
Some relief / conditions improving
Uneven rainfall / mixed conditions
Persistent drought / little change
Map of county-reported drought impact
Every county on this map is listed, grouped by impact level, at the end of this page under “View county data as a list”.
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Statewide Trends
Recent heavy, localized rainfall across many counties has provided short-term relief and improved soil moisture and pastures.
Drought-stressed corn—particularly early-planted fields—may not recover in some counties despite recent rains.
Forage and pasture growth have improved where rain fell, but deficits persist in many areas and regrowth is uneven.
Pond and stream levels remain low in several counties and at least one county is discussing possible water restrictions.
Tobacco growers report mixed effects from recent weather, with some fields improving and others harmed by too much or poorly timed rain.
Top Statewide Concerns
- Uneven rainfall distribution
- Persistent extreme/severe drought pockets
- Low pond and stream levels
- Irrecoverable early-planted corn
- Blueberry and specialty crop losses
- Potential water restrictions
Regional summaries
West / Mountains & Foothills
(Avery, Burke, Caldwell, Gaston, Haywood, Henderson, Iredell, McDowell, Wilkes)
- Conditions range from abnormally dry to severe drought, with counties such as Burke and Iredell reporting severe drought.
- Recent rounds of rain have greened up crops and relieved immediate drought stress in many areas.
- Surface water and pond levels remain below normal and some early-planted corn is unlikely to recover.
Piedmont / Sandhills
(Anson, Chatham, Cumberland, Davie, Forsyth, Hoke, Lee, Montgomery, Moore, Person, Randolph, Richmond, Stanly, Stokes, Surry, Union, Wake, Yadkin)
- A large portion of the region remains in extreme or severe drought (examples include Cumberland, Davie, Forsyth, Stokes, Chatham, Montgomery, Moore, Person, Union).
- Localized heavy rainfall (Chatham 3.53–4.35 in; Davie near 6 in; Montgomery 2–5+ in) improved soil moisture and pastures in many places.
- Despite recent rains, drought-stressed corn and soybeans and delayed forage recovery remain concerns for many producers.
North & Central Coastal Plain
(Craven, Currituck, Edgecombe, Halifax, Johnston, Martin, Northampton, Pamlico, Wayne, Wilson)
- Most reports are Moderate Drought or Abnormally Dry, with some counties reporting no mapped response.
- Recent 2–5 inch rainfall events improved topsoil moisture across parts of the region, though some crops (e.g., corn in Craven) saw limited benefit.
- Some counties (for example Johnston) report being largely out of drought declaration but still below normal for the year.
Southeast Coastal Plain
(Bladen, Duplin, Pender, Robeson, Sampson)
- The region shows a mix of severe and extreme drought conditions (Bladen, Duplin, Sampson) with uneven impacts across the area.
- Recent rains eased drought for some producers but totals were highly variable within counties (Robeson reports 0.2 to over 5 inches).
- Bladen reports blueberry field losses and ongoing plant health/yield concerns; pond and irrigation levels remain low in parts of the region.
County Comments Highlights (selected notes from impact and additional comments)
Davie
We received much needed rain last week, with some places near 6 inches, which should help crops and pastures.
Forsyth
Crops are behind where they should be at this time.
Stokes
Crops are behind where they should be at this time.
Bladen
Showers last week improved plant progress, with a couple inches of rain in some areas, but overall negative; cotton and soybean crops helped, while blueberry fields show significant plant losses with season over and implications for next year.
Iredell
Recent rains have helped many crops including soybeans and late planted corn; early corn is too late in the season to recover.
Sampson
Recent rains have eased the drought with some excess rain for tobacco, leaving growers needing less water and boosting moisture to grow and fill irrigation ponds.
Henderson
Recent rains helped relieve immediate drought concerns, though water levels have not returned to normal.
Surry
Drought conditions improved with rain, though middle and southern Yadkin counties still show worse crop conditions; Surry and northern Yadkin look good.
Wake
Significant rainfall occurred countywide last week, with most producers receiving at least 1"; I-40 corridor areas saw the most rain, outskirts less, and growers with higher rainfall want it to dry out to prevent flooding.
Martin
We had good rainfall last Thursday through Saturday, with 3 to 5 inches in places; timely rains are needed to continue.
McDowell
Recent rounds of rain have helped green things up.
County analysis as a list
View county analysis as a list
Extreme Drought (5 counties)
- Cumberland - Persistent drought / little change
- Davie - Persistent drought / little change
- Duplin - Persistent drought / little change
- Forsyth - Persistent drought / little change
- Stokes - Worsening / crop stress intensifying
Severe Drought (9 counties)
- Bladen - Some relief / conditions improving
- Burke - Persistent drought / little change
- Chatham - Persistent drought / little change
- Iredell - Persistent drought / little change
- Montgomery - Some relief / conditions improving
- Moore - Persistent drought / little change
- Person - Some relief / conditions improving
- Sampson - Some relief / conditions improving
- Union - Persistent drought / little change
Moderate Drought (12 counties)
- Craven - Some relief / conditions improving
- Edgecombe - Persistent drought / little change
- Gaston - Persistent drought / little change
- Halifax - Some relief / conditions improving
- Hoke - Persistent drought / little change
- Lee - Some relief / conditions improving
- Northampton - Persistent drought / little change
- Pender - Persistent drought / little change
- Richmond - Persistent drought / little change
- Robeson - Persistent drought / little change
- Wilkes - Some relief / conditions improving
- Wilson - Persistent drought / little change
Abnormally Dry (10 counties)
- Anson - Some relief / conditions improving
- Haywood - Persistent drought / little change
- Henderson - Persistent drought / little change
- Johnston - Some relief / conditions improving
- Pamlico - Some relief / conditions improving
- Randolph - Some relief / conditions improving
- Stanly - Some relief / conditions improving
- Surry - Persistent drought / little change
- Wake - Persistent drought / little change
- Yadkin - Persistent drought / little change
No mapped response (6 counties)
- Avery - Some relief / conditions improving
- Caldwell - Some relief / conditions improving
- Currituck - Persistent drought / little change
- Martin - Some relief / conditions improving
- McDowell - Some relief / conditions improving
- Wayne - Some relief / conditions improving
Note: Map reflects county-reported drought classifications from the July 26, 2026 survey. Comment signal summarizes the tone of county narrative responses. Counties without a clearly mapped report remain unshaded.